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The Valmiki Ramayana #1-7
Rámáyan of Válmíki
Praise to Válmíki,2 bird of charming song,3 Who mounts on Poesy’s sublimest spray, And sweetly sings with accent clear and strong Ráma, aye Ráma, in his deathless lay. Where breathes the man can listen to the strain That flows in music from Válmíki’s tongue, Nor feel his feet the path of bliss attain When Ráma’s glory by the saint is sung! The stream Rámáyan leaves its sacred fount The whole wide world from sin and stain to free. The Prince of Hermits is the parent mount, The lordly Ráma is the darling sea. Glory to him whose fame is ever bright! Glory to him, Prachetas' holy son! Whose pure lips quaff with ever new delight The nectar-sea of deeds by Ráma done. Hail, arch-ascetic, pious, good, and kind! Hail, Saint Válmíki, lord of every lore! Hail, holy Hermit, calm and pure of mind! Hail, First of Bards, Válmíki, hail once more!
3812 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1957
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About the author
ī쾱
448books132followersValmiki is celebrated as the poet harbinger in Sanskrit literature. He is the author of the epic Ramayana, based on the attribution in the text of the epic itself.He is revered as the Adi Kavi, which means First Poet, for he discovered the first śloka i.e. first verse, which set the base and defined the form to Sanskrit poetry. The Yoga Vasistha is attributed to him. A religious movement called Valmikism is based on Valmiki's teachings as presented in the Ramayana and the Yoga Vasistha.
At least by the 1st century AD, Valmiki's reputation as the father of Sanskrit classical poetry seems to have been legendary. Ashvagosha writes in the Buddhacarita,
"The voice of Valmiki uttered poetry which the great seer Chyavana could not compose."
This particular verse has been speculated to indicate a familial relationship between Valmiki and Chyavana, as implied by the previous and subsequent verses.
At least by the 1st century AD, Valmiki's reputation as the father of Sanskrit classical poetry seems to have been legendary. Ashvagosha writes in the Buddhacarita,
"The voice of Valmiki uttered poetry which the great seer Chyavana could not compose."
This particular verse has been speculated to indicate a familial relationship between Valmiki and Chyavana, as implied by the previous and subsequent verses.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,004 reviews
April 3, 2024
Ramayana is one of those books that should be appreciated but not reviewed in the same way as other books. A timeless epic, a cultural phenomenon and an important spiritual text. Instead the comments relate to my own experience when reading it.
This Indian classic and therefore a very important addition to the world book tour but this is a book that will stay with you for its poignant messages, beauty, philosophy, religious and cultural insights.
While there are many battles, politics and family betrayal, they feel necessary only as the vehicle to portray good and the ideal state of things and the world. Such simple and powerful messages communicated in such a simple and powerful way.
Ancient? - yes!!! but relevant? Absolutely and therein lies the true beauty of this book. Life teachings that will transcend generations, culture, and age. Although the Ramayana is considered a sacred text in Hinduism its depiction of religion can be found in so many of the book characters and in such a positive way that the messages are relatable to everyone. It is not surprising that this book has been brought to life through so many forms of art. In television, plays, songs, retellings, literature and has influenced so many religions and is embraced by many cultures and countries like Indonesia, Burma, Thailand, Malaysia, Nepal, Sri Lanka and many more. Such is the power of this book.
The research into Ramayana was just as intriguing as reading the book. It is fair to say there was so much I didn’t know, and because of that I swapped out the shorter version to read the longer version which brought so much more to the aspect of Ramayana I enjoyed the most - its moral and ethical teachings.
More to follow....
This Indian classic and therefore a very important addition to the world book tour but this is a book that will stay with you for its poignant messages, beauty, philosophy, religious and cultural insights.
While there are many battles, politics and family betrayal, they feel necessary only as the vehicle to portray good and the ideal state of things and the world. Such simple and powerful messages communicated in such a simple and powerful way.
Ancient? - yes!!! but relevant? Absolutely and therein lies the true beauty of this book. Life teachings that will transcend generations, culture, and age. Although the Ramayana is considered a sacred text in Hinduism its depiction of religion can be found in so many of the book characters and in such a positive way that the messages are relatable to everyone. It is not surprising that this book has been brought to life through so many forms of art. In television, plays, songs, retellings, literature and has influenced so many religions and is embraced by many cultures and countries like Indonesia, Burma, Thailand, Malaysia, Nepal, Sri Lanka and many more. Such is the power of this book.
The research into Ramayana was just as intriguing as reading the book. It is fair to say there was so much I didn’t know, and because of that I swapped out the shorter version to read the longer version which brought so much more to the aspect of Ramayana I enjoyed the most - its moral and ethical teachings.
More to follow....
July 20, 2022
الرامايانا واحدة من أهم وأشهر الملاحم الهندية القديمة
ملحمة شعرية كُتبت بالسنسكريتية في 24 ألف بيت.. نُسبت للشاعر ڨالميكي
أسطورة تحكي قصة الأمير راما وزوجته سيتا, وحكايات عن الصراع بين الخير والشر
تضم الملحمة قصص القوة والشجاعة والوفاء والمساندة بجانب المكائد والغدر والظلم والخذلان
الكتاب هنا لا يعرض القصيدة الشعرية لكنه سرد نثري بسيط وشامل لتفاصيل الملحمة
ملحمة شعرية كُتبت بالسنسكريتية في 24 ألف بيت.. نُسبت للشاعر ڨالميكي
أسطورة تحكي قصة الأمير راما وزوجته سيتا, وحكايات عن الصراع بين الخير والشر
تضم الملحمة قصص القوة والشجاعة والوفاء والمساندة بجانب المكائد والغدر والظلم والخذلان
الكتاب هنا لا يعرض القصيدة الشعرية لكنه سرد نثري بسيط وشامل لتفاصيل الملحمة
September 17, 2015
I happened to pick up this book when I went to New Delhi for work.
I didn't know about Indian mythology at all, because in Europe we read only Greek Mythology at school, but what I've always like about India is that in this country, the animals seem to have equal rights as Man. So, when I picked up this book in the bookstore, and read the back cover, I was immediately drawn to the efforts of the monkeys, in collaboration with man, to save a kidnapped woman.
And I was touched by the book's deep wisdom and its keen insight into the human nature, coupled with a gripping narrative of action, in high tension. What a powerful story-telling!!!
I returned to the bookstore to buy the other Indian epic, 'Mahabharata', translated by the same author.
I didn't know about Indian mythology at all, because in Europe we read only Greek Mythology at school, but what I've always like about India is that in this country, the animals seem to have equal rights as Man. So, when I picked up this book in the bookstore, and read the back cover, I was immediately drawn to the efforts of the monkeys, in collaboration with man, to save a kidnapped woman.
And I was touched by the book's deep wisdom and its keen insight into the human nature, coupled with a gripping narrative of action, in high tension. What a powerful story-telling!!!
I returned to the bookstore to buy the other Indian epic, 'Mahabharata', translated by the same author.
December 27, 2019
رامایانا
رامایانا سروده وال میکی از حماسه های باستانی هندی است، که به ماجرای یکی از پادشاهان افسانه ای هند (راما) می پردازد که بنا به افسانه، تجلّی ایزد ویشنو است. کتاب را می توان به پنج بخش تقسیم کرد: بخش نخست مقدمه کتاب، بخش دوم تولد و کودکی راما، بخش سوم عشق راما و سیتا، دزدیده شدن سیتا توسط راوانای عفریت و باز پس گرفتنش توسط راما، بخش چهارم پادشاهی راما، بخش پنجم مؤخره. از این پنج فصل فقط سه فصل را به طور کامل خواندم. بخش چهارم را که به نوعی جمع کردن ماجرا بود، به طور گذرا خواندم و بخش طولانی پنجم را اصلاً نخواندم. از کتاب دو ترجمه موجود است: ترجمه منظوم و ترجمه منثور که هر دو به دست هندیان فارسی زبان در دوره حکومت مغولان بر هند نگاشته شده است و از نظر واژگان عربی-اسلامی مورد استفاده برای مفاهیم هندویی، بسیار جالب توجه است. مثل «رسیدن به درجۀ شهادت» یا «جهان عقبا» به جای زندگی بعدی تناسخی یا «فرشتگان» به جای خدایان. همین طور عباراتی مثل «حضرت احدیت» یا «حقیر الانام» و...
تأملاتی در باب ارزش کتاب
دكتر الهى قمشه اى در فهرست صد كتاب بزرگ جهان که می تواند فکر انسان را تغییر دهد، این کتاب را (به همراه مهابهاراتا) هم جای داده بود، همچنین در فهرست های مشابه دیگر نیز نام این کتاب به چشم می خورد، من قطعاً با اين انتخاب مخالفم، قصه قشنگى براى يك بار خواندن است، اما برترين صد كتاب همه دوران ها؟ به سختى شايد در هزار كتاب جا داشته باشد، آن هم قوياً توصيه مى كنم كه خلاصه صد و شصت صفحه اى كه نشر علم منتشر كرده است (و متأسفانه پى دى افش موجود نيست) را بخوانيد نه متن كامل ششصد و هشتاد صفحه اى را.
هندى ها در نقل قصه زبردست نيستند، کمابیش همچون خود ما. در مقايسه با يونانى ها و رومى هايى كه همان دوران مى زيستند، خواندن يك قصه هندى و ايرانى، مثل خواندن هانس كريستين اندرسن است، در كنار داستايوسكى. نه فقط از نظر مضمون، از نظر نوآورى در توصيفات بديع، از نظر زنده بودن اتفاقات، از نظر جزئى و ريزبين بودن قصه گو، از نظر پيچيدگى پيرنگ، واقعى بودن ديالوگ ها، نفس گير بودن مبارزه ها و صحنه هاى مهيج. آدم با هيچ يك از جنگ هاى بى شمار رام حتى ذره اى به هيجان نمى آيد. خلاصه همه جنگ ها: رام با يك تير سپاه ديوها را كشت، با تير ديگر ديو فرمانده را. کوه را بر سر هم پرتاب کردند، مدتی بی هوش شدند، بعد دوباره کوه های دیگر را به سمت هم پرتاب کردند. همه يك شكل، آن هم به كلى ترين شكل ممكن. در مقابل صحنه هاى زنده كشتار انئاس، تيرى كه در گوشت گير كرده و بيرون نمى آيد و از دقت در توصيفاتش دردش را حس مى كنى. خون تيره كف كرده و داغى كه بخار از آن بلند مى شود و از فرط زنده بودن، بوى تندش بينى ات را مى سوزاند.
اگر بخواهيم فارغ از عرق ملى نگاه كنيم حماسه هاى ايرانى و هندى در مقابل حماسه هاى يونانى و رومى چندان درخششى ندارند، و منظورم فقط آثار منظوم است، تا چه رسد به قصه هاى منثور و نمايشنامه هايى چون اوديپ شهريار كه هنوز به همان شكل بى اضافه و كم كردن يك جمله مى تواند اجرا شود و همچنان مو بر تن بيننده راست كند و به كاتارسيس برساند.
خلاصه داستان
رامایانا سروده وال میکی از حماسه های باستانی هندی است، که به ماجرای یکی از پادشاهان افسانه ای هند (راما) می پردازد که بنا به افسانه، تجلّی ایزد ویشنو است. کتاب را می توان به پنج بخش تقسیم کرد: بخش نخست مقدمه کتاب، بخش دوم تولد و کودکی راما، بخش سوم عشق راما و سیتا، دزدیده شدن سیتا توسط راوانای عفریت و باز پس گرفتنش توسط راما، بخش چهارم پادشاهی راما، بخش پنجم مؤخره. از این پنج فصل فقط سه فصل را به طور کامل خواندم. بخش چهارم را که به نوعی جمع کردن ماجرا بود، به طور گذرا خواندم و بخش طولانی پنجم را اصلاً نخواندم. از کتاب دو ترجمه موجود است: ترجمه منظوم و ترجمه منثور که هر دو به دست هندیان فارسی زبان در دوره حکومت مغولان بر هند نگاشته شده است و از نظر واژگان عربی-اسلامی مورد استفاده برای مفاهیم هندویی، بسیار جالب توجه است. مثل «رسیدن به درجۀ شهادت» یا «جهان عقبا» به جای زندگی بعدی تناسخی یا «فرشتگان» به جای خدایان. همین طور عباراتی مثل «حضرت احدیت» یا «حقیر الانام» و...
تأملاتی در باب ارزش کتاب
دكتر الهى قمشه اى در فهرست صد كتاب بزرگ جهان که می تواند فکر انسان را تغییر دهد، این کتاب را (به همراه مهابهاراتا) هم جای داده بود، همچنین در فهرست های مشابه دیگر نیز نام این کتاب به چشم می خورد، من قطعاً با اين انتخاب مخالفم، قصه قشنگى براى يك بار خواندن است، اما برترين صد كتاب همه دوران ها؟ به سختى شايد در هزار كتاب جا داشته باشد، آن هم قوياً توصيه مى كنم كه خلاصه صد و شصت صفحه اى كه نشر علم منتشر كرده است (و متأسفانه پى دى افش موجود نيست) را بخوانيد نه متن كامل ششصد و هشتاد صفحه اى را.
هندى ها در نقل قصه زبردست نيستند، کمابیش همچون خود ما. در مقايسه با يونانى ها و رومى هايى كه همان دوران مى زيستند، خواندن يك قصه هندى و ايرانى، مثل خواندن هانس كريستين اندرسن است، در كنار داستايوسكى. نه فقط از نظر مضمون، از نظر نوآورى در توصيفات بديع، از نظر زنده بودن اتفاقات، از نظر جزئى و ريزبين بودن قصه گو، از نظر پيچيدگى پيرنگ، واقعى بودن ديالوگ ها، نفس گير بودن مبارزه ها و صحنه هاى مهيج. آدم با هيچ يك از جنگ هاى بى شمار رام حتى ذره اى به هيجان نمى آيد. خلاصه همه جنگ ها: رام با يك تير سپاه ديوها را كشت، با تير ديگر ديو فرمانده را. کوه را بر سر هم پرتاب کردند، مدتی بی هوش شدند، بعد دوباره کوه های دیگر را به سمت هم پرتاب کردند. همه يك شكل، آن هم به كلى ترين شكل ممكن. در مقابل صحنه هاى زنده كشتار انئاس، تيرى كه در گوشت گير كرده و بيرون نمى آيد و از دقت در توصيفاتش دردش را حس مى كنى. خون تيره كف كرده و داغى كه بخار از آن بلند مى شود و از فرط زنده بودن، بوى تندش بينى ات را مى سوزاند.
اگر بخواهيم فارغ از عرق ملى نگاه كنيم حماسه هاى ايرانى و هندى در مقابل حماسه هاى يونانى و رومى چندان درخششى ندارند، و منظورم فقط آثار منظوم است، تا چه رسد به قصه هاى منثور و نمايشنامه هايى چون اوديپ شهريار كه هنوز به همان شكل بى اضافه و كم كردن يك جمله مى تواند اجرا شود و همچنان مو بر تن بيننده راست كند و به كاتارسيس برساند.
خلاصه داستان
December 17, 2021
This was a great read. This is a re-telling of the Ramayana, by William Buck. It is not in verse, although it remains in the original seven parts, and is considered one of the better modern re-tellings.
I must admit, the first of the seven parts almost had me putting this back on the self for another time. It was confusing with the number of characters, the timeframes and general confusion. I am so glad I persisted, as from the end of that part on, it was brilliant. To be fair it was the scene setting section of the book and was trying to set out the history. I should probably go back and re-read it, because I really don't know what it was...
For me, from that point on, the characters were absorbing, the story paced well and interesting and there were stories inside the story which explained aspects of the narrative. The other aspect of this edition of the book are the pictures. They occur probably every 20-30 pages, and look like pencil sketches. No colour, limited contrast - by which I mean they are not boldly drawn, but subtly drawn, and they are excellent. To me they seem to capture the intent of the writing, and provide realistic Indian imagery of the characters - not just people, but the mythological creatures and the animals. It does have a high proportion of inevitably beautiful women who appear almost exclusively with minimal clothing, usually topless, which was probably slightly disconnected from the text.
So no plot lines in the review - they would be reduced to something too simple, or would remain over complex, and there are plenty of sources or reviews which can assist. The story is somewhat familiar to me, but having not been brought up with the story as a part of my culture, there are plenty or moral lessons to take from this story, and it is plain to see why it remains popular and important in Indian culture.
So for stars, I struggled with the opening section, but loved the rest. I was settling for 4 stars, but I liked it better than that in the end, so racks up my first five star rating of 2016.
I must admit, the first of the seven parts almost had me putting this back on the self for another time. It was confusing with the number of characters, the timeframes and general confusion. I am so glad I persisted, as from the end of that part on, it was brilliant. To be fair it was the scene setting section of the book and was trying to set out the history. I should probably go back and re-read it, because I really don't know what it was...
For me, from that point on, the characters were absorbing, the story paced well and interesting and there were stories inside the story which explained aspects of the narrative. The other aspect of this edition of the book are the pictures. They occur probably every 20-30 pages, and look like pencil sketches. No colour, limited contrast - by which I mean they are not boldly drawn, but subtly drawn, and they are excellent. To me they seem to capture the intent of the writing, and provide realistic Indian imagery of the characters - not just people, but the mythological creatures and the animals. It does have a high proportion of inevitably beautiful women who appear almost exclusively with minimal clothing, usually topless, which was probably slightly disconnected from the text.
So no plot lines in the review - they would be reduced to something too simple, or would remain over complex, and there are plenty of sources or reviews which can assist. The story is somewhat familiar to me, but having not been brought up with the story as a part of my culture, there are plenty or moral lessons to take from this story, and it is plain to see why it remains popular and important in Indian culture.
So for stars, I struggled with the opening section, but loved the rest. I was settling for 4 stars, but I liked it better than that in the end, so racks up my first five star rating of 2016.
January 23, 2008
I grew up in India, and learned the story told in the Ramayana and Mahabharata, India's great epics, literally back in first and second grade. The Ramayana, in particular, is the basis for Diwali, one of my favorite Hindu festivals.
I already have an excellent copy of the Mahabharata (although one that I'm sure is utterly out of print) but I never got a full length version of the entire Ramayana while we lived there. So I recently treated myself to one.
The one I selected and am reviewing here is nearly ideal. It doesn't attempt to translate the verse form; it rather tells the epic story as plain prose in a modern style, while preserving much of the charm and even some of the religious character of the original. I'm thoroughly enjoying it, and think it would be quite accessible to those who lack any real knowledge of Indian history, mythology, religion.
Make no mistake about it. The Ramayana is one of the world's great epics -- easily the equal of the Iliad or Oddessy or the Eddas. It is a tale of transcendent love and friendship. Rama is a prince who just happens to be the incarnation (avatar) of the Mahavishnu, who chooses to be born on Earth as a mere human in order that he may save mankind and the gods themselves from a demon who cleverly obtained invulnerability against all other gods and demons by means of fasting, penance, and sacrifice. However, he forgot to specify invulnerability to mere humans as they were so puny as to be beneath his notice. Oops, bad idea (note well that Tolkien "borrowed" this same theme for the witch-king of Angmar, head of the Nazgul, in LOTR, except he failed to armor himself against women and hobbits).
Rama marries Sita (a princess, naturally) who is the incarnation/avatar of the goddess Lakshmi and hence Rama's inevitable perfect partner. Finally, Rama hangs out with his younger brother Lakshman, who is the perfect friend and perfect brother.
Anyway, Ravana (the demon) sees Sita and falls madly in love with her and kidnaps her. Sita is of course perfectly chaste and resists his advances with perfect chastity. Rama and Lakshman (who are victims of scheming that takes his kingdom away from him) go after Sita to rescue her and slay Ravana, with the help of Hanuman the monkey god.
After much travail, many a good battle, lots of demon slaying, a certain amount of holy meditation and miracle working and magic, they succeed and Rama indeed wins the day and slays Ravana to the enthusiastic cheering of the gods (devas).
However, as the author of this particular retelling puts it, Ravana had already been spiritually slain not by Rama but by Sita. Sita rejects him, shames him, causes him to see his own evil and his own willfullness in continuing to try to seduce her and fight a running battle against gods and men when he is sufficiently advanced and enlightened by his great acts of penance and meditation that he might instead have become one of the great lights of the world. Ravana is spiritually crushed and thereby morally weakened just when he needs his greatest strength. Thus when he finally meets Rama in battle he goes down to his doom.
Of the two (Ramayana and Mahabharata) I very slightly prefer the Mahabharata in terms of pure storytelling and characterization, and feel that it is important to read both of them in order to gain an appreciation for how the second is a continuation of the same epic. I'll therefore say a bit about the latter in comparison to the former.
In the Ramayana (as a story in general, not this particular telling per se) Rama and Sita are a bit too perfect, perhaps. It is all a bit too inevitable -- fate and foreshadowing leave less room for dynamic tension and free will than I generally like. Somehow even Ravana ends up being just a teeny bit appealing -- he's a bit of a "delicious" character, so bad that he's almost good. Part of his appeal can be understood by meditating on the fairly obvious clear Jungian connections that can be made between the good guys, the bad guys, and certain archetypes or brain structures or personality concepts -- Rama higher brain ego and superego, Ravana unbridled id, Rama primate cortex, Ravana reptile cortex, that sort of thing. Ravana seeks immortality, love, power, satisfaction of worldly desires and passions as does Rama, but he does it with the knowledge that he can never achieve it while the other does it with the certain of never failing to achieve it. How can a mere demon become God?
As is always the case with Hindu mythopoeic works, consistency is not a hobgoblin one need fear as the "good" princes are ultimately just as bloodthirsty and cruel as the bad ones. After all, they are princes, warriors, born to rule over other men and hence (IMO) thereby removed from the path of true righteousness which eschews mastery of anything but one's own Self. There is mastery of self in the Ramayana, but it is a bit too effortless, and the characters play out their roles with a bit too much mechanism.
In the Mahabharata, though, the political intrigue is more subtle and demented, with gambling, attempts at murder, scheming, and even some sexual interest (where for once the leading lady Drupadi is wife to a whole family of brothers instead of one of many wives to a single man). Even the purely religious parts -- the pilgrimage and self-denial, the moment of Arjuna's sickness at all the killing that becomes the Gita, they ring far more true (if no less epic) than the Ramayana -- the bad guys aren't demons and hence prequalified for guilt-free slaying, they are our cousins and distinguished from us (the good guys) only by their relative greed and lust for power. Indeed, when not picking on their cousins the bad guys aren't particularly bad, just unwilling to be anything but Kings, and one of the bad guys turns out to be a good guy that everybody thinks is a nobody guy because the circumstances of his birth are hidden. How convoluted is that?
While all the main players in the Mahabharata are gods, Krishna is once again an avatar of Mahavishnu, come to end a yuga (cycle of existence, as did Rama) and hence is an assurance of victory for the side he stands with even though he refuses to fight, since both sides are equally his cousins. There is a sadness and wisdom in Krishna that is somewhat lacking in Rama. Which of course makes sense -- if the Gods exist at all in time (where in some sense of course the Mahavishnu does not) then Vishnu's Krishna avatar follows that of Rama (and precedes that of Buddha, who was perhaps the wisest and most compassionate of the three) and consequently matured.
If so, it gives us reason to hope that in his next avatar (that perhaps will end our current yuga) he will be more compassionate still, and may even figure out how to bring peace and enlightenment to a world without burning it down in the process. And in the meantime, get yourself a copy of both the Ramayana and the Mahabharata, and have yourself a good read...
rgb
I already have an excellent copy of the Mahabharata (although one that I'm sure is utterly out of print) but I never got a full length version of the entire Ramayana while we lived there. So I recently treated myself to one.
The one I selected and am reviewing here is nearly ideal. It doesn't attempt to translate the verse form; it rather tells the epic story as plain prose in a modern style, while preserving much of the charm and even some of the religious character of the original. I'm thoroughly enjoying it, and think it would be quite accessible to those who lack any real knowledge of Indian history, mythology, religion.
Make no mistake about it. The Ramayana is one of the world's great epics -- easily the equal of the Iliad or Oddessy or the Eddas. It is a tale of transcendent love and friendship. Rama is a prince who just happens to be the incarnation (avatar) of the Mahavishnu, who chooses to be born on Earth as a mere human in order that he may save mankind and the gods themselves from a demon who cleverly obtained invulnerability against all other gods and demons by means of fasting, penance, and sacrifice. However, he forgot to specify invulnerability to mere humans as they were so puny as to be beneath his notice. Oops, bad idea (note well that Tolkien "borrowed" this same theme for the witch-king of Angmar, head of the Nazgul, in LOTR, except he failed to armor himself against women and hobbits).
Rama marries Sita (a princess, naturally) who is the incarnation/avatar of the goddess Lakshmi and hence Rama's inevitable perfect partner. Finally, Rama hangs out with his younger brother Lakshman, who is the perfect friend and perfect brother.
Anyway, Ravana (the demon) sees Sita and falls madly in love with her and kidnaps her. Sita is of course perfectly chaste and resists his advances with perfect chastity. Rama and Lakshman (who are victims of scheming that takes his kingdom away from him) go after Sita to rescue her and slay Ravana, with the help of Hanuman the monkey god.
After much travail, many a good battle, lots of demon slaying, a certain amount of holy meditation and miracle working and magic, they succeed and Rama indeed wins the day and slays Ravana to the enthusiastic cheering of the gods (devas).
However, as the author of this particular retelling puts it, Ravana had already been spiritually slain not by Rama but by Sita. Sita rejects him, shames him, causes him to see his own evil and his own willfullness in continuing to try to seduce her and fight a running battle against gods and men when he is sufficiently advanced and enlightened by his great acts of penance and meditation that he might instead have become one of the great lights of the world. Ravana is spiritually crushed and thereby morally weakened just when he needs his greatest strength. Thus when he finally meets Rama in battle he goes down to his doom.
Of the two (Ramayana and Mahabharata) I very slightly prefer the Mahabharata in terms of pure storytelling and characterization, and feel that it is important to read both of them in order to gain an appreciation for how the second is a continuation of the same epic. I'll therefore say a bit about the latter in comparison to the former.
In the Ramayana (as a story in general, not this particular telling per se) Rama and Sita are a bit too perfect, perhaps. It is all a bit too inevitable -- fate and foreshadowing leave less room for dynamic tension and free will than I generally like. Somehow even Ravana ends up being just a teeny bit appealing -- he's a bit of a "delicious" character, so bad that he's almost good. Part of his appeal can be understood by meditating on the fairly obvious clear Jungian connections that can be made between the good guys, the bad guys, and certain archetypes or brain structures or personality concepts -- Rama higher brain ego and superego, Ravana unbridled id, Rama primate cortex, Ravana reptile cortex, that sort of thing. Ravana seeks immortality, love, power, satisfaction of worldly desires and passions as does Rama, but he does it with the knowledge that he can never achieve it while the other does it with the certain of never failing to achieve it. How can a mere demon become God?
As is always the case with Hindu mythopoeic works, consistency is not a hobgoblin one need fear as the "good" princes are ultimately just as bloodthirsty and cruel as the bad ones. After all, they are princes, warriors, born to rule over other men and hence (IMO) thereby removed from the path of true righteousness which eschews mastery of anything but one's own Self. There is mastery of self in the Ramayana, but it is a bit too effortless, and the characters play out their roles with a bit too much mechanism.
In the Mahabharata, though, the political intrigue is more subtle and demented, with gambling, attempts at murder, scheming, and even some sexual interest (where for once the leading lady Drupadi is wife to a whole family of brothers instead of one of many wives to a single man). Even the purely religious parts -- the pilgrimage and self-denial, the moment of Arjuna's sickness at all the killing that becomes the Gita, they ring far more true (if no less epic) than the Ramayana -- the bad guys aren't demons and hence prequalified for guilt-free slaying, they are our cousins and distinguished from us (the good guys) only by their relative greed and lust for power. Indeed, when not picking on their cousins the bad guys aren't particularly bad, just unwilling to be anything but Kings, and one of the bad guys turns out to be a good guy that everybody thinks is a nobody guy because the circumstances of his birth are hidden. How convoluted is that?
While all the main players in the Mahabharata are gods, Krishna is once again an avatar of Mahavishnu, come to end a yuga (cycle of existence, as did Rama) and hence is an assurance of victory for the side he stands with even though he refuses to fight, since both sides are equally his cousins. There is a sadness and wisdom in Krishna that is somewhat lacking in Rama. Which of course makes sense -- if the Gods exist at all in time (where in some sense of course the Mahavishnu does not) then Vishnu's Krishna avatar follows that of Rama (and precedes that of Buddha, who was perhaps the wisest and most compassionate of the three) and consequently matured.
If so, it gives us reason to hope that in his next avatar (that perhaps will end our current yuga) he will be more compassionate still, and may even figure out how to bring peace and enlightenment to a world without burning it down in the process. And in the meantime, get yourself a copy of both the Ramayana and the Mahabharata, and have yourself a good read...
rgb
August 6, 2019
This edition was published specially for Paper boat. This version of Ramayan by R.K. Narayan is excellent introduction to the Indian epic, specially for those who are short on time. Narayan has used Kamban's version for writing this and not Valmiki's version. Having read both versions, I could find one major difference- the laxman rekha, or line of protection drawn by Laxman is missing in this version. Overall a good quick and fascinating read
September 15, 2017
This is one of those really entertaining but makes you want to smack someone. But at least the gods in this version agree with me.
It is nice to know that the Bible isn’t the only work that screws women over.
The amount of time that men in this epic, who keep telling you they are powerful dudes, blame women for everything is just maddening. Even Sita who couldn’t be raped because Ravena can’t force her has to prove her virtue.
Hello.
Yeah, yeah, I know it was before feminism. I get it. But I am a modern lady; I can still get upset by it.
But outside of the whole women are to blame for everything, it’s actually really good and engrossing. It’s even fun.
And if you are wondering, like the guy who commented below, where men say that here are some examples:
"Finally the King burst out, " . . . Those cherry-red lips I thought sustained me, but they have only been a source of the deadliest poison to finish me off . . ." (52). True she is a evil woman, but no one forced you to do what you did.
"The picture she [Soorpanka] conjured up was convincing . . . Soorpanaka's words had lit an all-consuming flame within him [Ravana]" (81)
"When he heard of his son's death, Ravana shed bitter tears and swore, 'This is the time to kill that woman Sita, the cause of all this misery'" (149). You did kidnap her.
As for Sita's virtue test. I know that critics, both Western and Eastern have problems with it. Even the epic seems to realize this for it says, "Rama explained that he had to adopt this trial in order to demonstrate Sita's putiry beyond a shadow of a doubt to the whole world" (163).
Look, like all great epics, the work is a product of its time. I understand that. But I am not going to respond any differently simply because of that. I have similar problems with the Bible, Homer, and so on. I cannot turn off my feminisim completely. I'm sorry, I can't. It doesn't stop me from enjoying the story. And to be frank, do you really think modern women were the first to ask these questions or notice these problems?
+
It is nice to know that the Bible isn’t the only work that screws women over.
The amount of time that men in this epic, who keep telling you they are powerful dudes, blame women for everything is just maddening. Even Sita who couldn’t be raped because Ravena can’t force her has to prove her virtue.
Hello.
Yeah, yeah, I know it was before feminism. I get it. But I am a modern lady; I can still get upset by it.
But outside of the whole women are to blame for everything, it’s actually really good and engrossing. It’s even fun.
And if you are wondering, like the guy who commented below, where men say that here are some examples:
"Finally the King burst out, " . . . Those cherry-red lips I thought sustained me, but they have only been a source of the deadliest poison to finish me off . . ." (52). True she is a evil woman, but no one forced you to do what you did.
"The picture she [Soorpanka] conjured up was convincing . . . Soorpanaka's words had lit an all-consuming flame within him [Ravana]" (81)
"When he heard of his son's death, Ravana shed bitter tears and swore, 'This is the time to kill that woman Sita, the cause of all this misery'" (149). You did kidnap her.
As for Sita's virtue test. I know that critics, both Western and Eastern have problems with it. Even the epic seems to realize this for it says, "Rama explained that he had to adopt this trial in order to demonstrate Sita's putiry beyond a shadow of a doubt to the whole world" (163).
Look, like all great epics, the work is a product of its time. I understand that. But I am not going to respond any differently simply because of that. I have similar problems with the Bible, Homer, and so on. I cannot turn off my feminisim completely. I'm sorry, I can't. It doesn't stop me from enjoying the story. And to be frank, do you really think modern women were the first to ask these questions or notice these problems?
+
March 28, 2012
الرامايانا
بدأت العام الماضي بقراءة سفر ويل ديورانت الضخم (قصة الحضارة)، وهي تجربة مميزة ربما لا يمر بها أكثرنا إلا مع كتب قليلة جداً، وبما أن السلسلة موزعة على 47 جزءاً في طبعتها العربية، فلذا قراءتها مشروع ضخم، فالسلسلة عبارة عن 25 ألف صفحة مدججة بقرون من الحضارة ا��إنسانية، حينها تفتق ذهني عن فكرة جعلت المشروع أعقد مما هو، حيث قررت حينها دمج قراءات أخرى مع دوراته الحضارية لجعلها أكثر عمقاً، فعندما اقرأ عن الهند مثلاً، لا أكتفي بما كتبه ديورانت عنها، وإنما أضيف لقراءتي ما توافر لدي من كتب عن تاريخ الهند المعاصر � أي المرحلة التي لم يكتب عنها ديورانت لأنه توقف عند هند ما قبل الاستقلال -، وكتب أخرى تتناول نموها الاقتصادي الحديث، كما أرجع في قراءة تفصيلية عن دياناتها إلى كتب الديانات مثل سلسلة فراس سواح، ومن ثم آدابها فأقرأ المهابهاراتا، وبعض الروايات الهندية الحديثة أو التي يكون موضوعها الهند، كما أشاهد أفلام وثائقية تتناول كل ما قرأت عنه تقريباً.
كانت محاولة شمولية، وهي تجربة لذيذة ولكن متعبة جداً، تحتجز القارئ في زاوية قرائية لا يخرج منها ربما لشهر أو أكثر، ولكني أنوي تكرارها هذا العام بإذن الله مع الصين وربما اليابان، رغم ما في هذا المشروع من توسع كبير وخاصة مع الأدب الياباني الثري جداً.
والرامايانا أحد العناوين المهمة التي أردت قراءتها العام الماضي عندما قرأت عن الهند، ولكني للأسف لم أوفق للحصول عليها إلا هذه السنة، فلذا قرأتها الآن استكمالاً.
كانت المهابهاراتا ممتعة جداً، بكل صراعاتها وخيالها ولكن الأهم ترجمة عبدالإله الملاح الرائعة، والتي افتقدتها كثيراً في هذه النسخة، والتي أرى أنها أقل مما يجب، حيث الأسماء فيها لا تنضبط وتكتب بأكثر من شكل، كما أن الهوامش شبه نادرة، ولولا قراءاتي السابقة في الأساطير الهندية لربما فاتتني أشياء كثيرة.
تتناول الرامايانا عدة موضوعات، الغيرة، الحب، الحرب، السياسة من خلال قصة راما الذي يعتبره الهنود تجسداً للإله فيشنو، وهو ابن ملك أيودهيا المحبوب الذي تقصيه غيرة زوجة أبيه عن العرش وتتسبب في نفيه لـ 14 عاماً، يقضيها في الغابة مقاتلاً الشياطين فيها، حتى يختطف ملك لانكا (سيرلانكا) زوجته سيتا ويأخذها إلى قصره انتقاماً من راما لقتله أخويه، عندها يخوض راما معركة طويلة لاستعادتها بمساعدة قرد يدعى هانومان، وهو قرد مؤله بدوره، تنتهي المعركة بقتل ملك لانكا، وتسليم أهلها لراما، الذي يعود إلى مدينته بعدما انتهت مدة نفيه، حيث يرتقي العرش، وتعيش الهند بعدها فترة ذهبية، ولكن الأسطورة لا تنتهي هنا، وإنما تظهر لها زائدة، تجعل راما ينفي زوجته المحبوبة سيتا إلى الغابة، لأن المسكينة قضت وقتاً طويلاً في منزل رجل آخر هو خاطفها، ملك لانكا، وهذا يجعل الكلام يدور حول طهرها، صحيح أن الأسطورة تشدد على طهارة سيتا وعدم تعرض ملك لانكا لها، ولكنها تضع سيتا في هذا الامتحان الذي تخرج منه نموذجاً ومثالاً ملهماً لكل الفتيات الهنديات، وتنتهي الأسطورة بموت سيتا بعدما رفضت العودة إلى زوجها، مما جعل راما وأخوته يتبعونها إلى العالم الآخر.
بدأت العام الماضي بقراءة سفر ويل ديورانت الضخم (قصة الحضارة)، وهي تجربة مميزة ربما لا يمر بها أكثرنا إلا مع كتب قليلة جداً، وبما أن السلسلة موزعة على 47 جزءاً في طبعتها العربية، فلذا قراءتها مشروع ضخم، فالسلسلة عبارة عن 25 ألف صفحة مدججة بقرون من الحضارة ا��إنسانية، حينها تفتق ذهني عن فكرة جعلت المشروع أعقد مما هو، حيث قررت حينها دمج قراءات أخرى مع دوراته الحضارية لجعلها أكثر عمقاً، فعندما اقرأ عن الهند مثلاً، لا أكتفي بما كتبه ديورانت عنها، وإنما أضيف لقراءتي ما توافر لدي من كتب عن تاريخ الهند المعاصر � أي المرحلة التي لم يكتب عنها ديورانت لأنه توقف عند هند ما قبل الاستقلال -، وكتب أخرى تتناول نموها الاقتصادي الحديث، كما أرجع في قراءة تفصيلية عن دياناتها إلى كتب الديانات مثل سلسلة فراس سواح، ومن ثم آدابها فأقرأ المهابهاراتا، وبعض الروايات الهندية الحديثة أو التي يكون موضوعها الهند، كما أشاهد أفلام وثائقية تتناول كل ما قرأت عنه تقريباً.
كانت محاولة شمولية، وهي تجربة لذيذة ولكن متعبة جداً، تحتجز القارئ في زاوية قرائية لا يخرج منها ربما لشهر أو أكثر، ولكني أنوي تكرارها هذا العام بإذن الله مع الصين وربما اليابان، رغم ما في هذا المشروع من توسع كبير وخاصة مع الأدب الياباني الثري جداً.
والرامايانا أحد العناوين المهمة التي أردت قراءتها العام الماضي عندما قرأت عن الهند، ولكني للأسف لم أوفق للحصول عليها إلا هذه السنة، فلذا قرأتها الآن استكمالاً.
كانت المهابهاراتا ممتعة جداً، بكل صراعاتها وخيالها ولكن الأهم ترجمة عبدالإله الملاح الرائعة، والتي افتقدتها كثيراً في هذه النسخة، والتي أرى أنها أقل مما يجب، حيث الأسماء فيها لا تنضبط وتكتب بأكثر من شكل، كما أن الهوامش شبه نادرة، ولولا قراءاتي السابقة في الأساطير الهندية لربما فاتتني أشياء كثيرة.
تتناول الرامايانا عدة موضوعات، الغيرة، الحب، الحرب، السياسة من خلال قصة راما الذي يعتبره الهنود تجسداً للإله فيشنو، وهو ابن ملك أيودهيا المحبوب الذي تقصيه غيرة زوجة أبيه عن العرش وتتسبب في نفيه لـ 14 عاماً، يقضيها في الغابة مقاتلاً الشياطين فيها، حتى يختطف ملك لانكا (سيرلانكا) زوجته سيتا ويأخذها إلى قصره انتقاماً من راما لقتله أخويه، عندها يخوض راما معركة طويلة لاستعادتها بمساعدة قرد يدعى هانومان، وهو قرد مؤله بدوره، تنتهي المعركة بقتل ملك لانكا، وتسليم أهلها لراما، الذي يعود إلى مدينته بعدما انتهت مدة نفيه، حيث يرتقي العرش، وتعيش الهند بعدها فترة ذهبية، ولكن الأسطورة لا تنتهي هنا، وإنما تظهر لها زائدة، تجعل راما ينفي زوجته المحبوبة سيتا إلى الغابة، لأن المسكينة قضت وقتاً طويلاً في منزل رجل آخر هو خاطفها، ملك لانكا، وهذا يجعل الكلام يدور حول طهرها، صحيح أن الأسطورة تشدد على طهارة سيتا وعدم تعرض ملك لانكا لها، ولكنها تضع سيتا في هذا الامتحان الذي تخرج منه نموذجاً ومثالاً ملهماً لكل الفتيات الهنديات، وتنتهي الأسطورة بموت سيتا بعدما رفضت العودة إلى زوجها، مما جعل راما وأخوته يتبعونها إلى العالم الآخر.
September 23, 2017
رامایانا یا رامایانه به معنای سرگذشت راما از حماسه های بزرگ هندی به زبان سانسکریت است . این داستان از وفاداری های بزرگ که خاص مردم هند است ٬ سخن می گوید.
داستان از آنجا شروع می شود که پادشاه آیودهیا که سلطانی درستکار است ٬ احساس می کند که دوران پیری وی نزدیک می شود و اعلام می کند که می خواهد پسر خود راما را به تخت بنشاند و خود کناره گیری کند اما ملکه جوان کشور از این خبر خشمگین می شود و می خواهد پسر او بهاراتا بر تخت بنشیند وچون پادشاه زمانی به او وعده داده بود که هر چه او بخواهد انجام دهد ٬ به نزد شوهر می رود و از او می خواهد که راما را برای ۱۴ سال در جنگلی به ریاضت و آوارگی روانه سازد و بهاراتا را به جای برادر بر تخت نشاند.
پادشاه از شنیدن این خبر اندوهگین می شود و از ملکه می خواهد از این تصمیم صرف نظر کند اما ملکه می گوید یک پادشاه نباید عهد خود را فراموش کند . وقتی راما از ماوقع باخبر می شود اعلام می کند که در کمال رضایت از فرمان پدر اطاعت می کند و از همسرش سیتا می خواهد که تا بازگشت او بهاراتا را پادشاه بداند اما سیتا حاضر به ماندن نمی شود و همراه شوهرش به جنگل می رود . در این سفر لاکشمن ـبرادر دیگر راما ـنیز باوی همسفر می شود از سوی دیگر بهاراتا نیز اعلام می کند که هیچگاه به جای راما بر تخت نمی شیند و فقط از جانب او بر کشور سلطنت خواهد کرد.
مدت ۱۰سال راما به اتفاق همسر و برادر خود در جنگل به سر می بردو با مشکلات دست و پنجه نرم می کنند .در این میان غولی غارتگر به نام راوانا تصمیم می گیرد با ربودن سیتا شوهرش را آزار دهد. وی خود را به صورت غزالی در می آورد و سیتا را فریب می دهد و وی را با خود به آسمان ها می برد.
راما و لاکشمن به دنبال سیتا همه جا را زیر پا می گذارند و در نهایت پادشاه میمون ها آنها را یاری می دهد تا سیتا را بیابند و در نهایت پس از جنگی خونین که بین سپاه راما (میمون ها ) و سپاه راوانا اتفاق می افتد٬ سیتا نجات می یابد .سیتا پس از نجات به دلیل شایعاتی که درباره ی او بر سر زبان ها افتاده است که وی به راما خیانت کرده و همسر راوانا شده است از آتش می گذرد و بی گناهی خود را به اثبات می رساند .
بالاخره مدت تبعید آنها به سر می رسد و آنها به سرزمین خود باز می گردند و راما برتخت سلطنت می نشیند . مردم راما را چنان دوست می داشتند که اکنون نیز به هنگام درود فرستادن ٬کف دستها را به هم می گذارند و می گویند: "رام. رام "
گفتنی است که در دوران های بعد راما در دل مردم به صورت خدایی که به سیمای آدمی درآمده بود ٬جای می گیرد.
داستان از آنجا شروع می شود که پادشاه آیودهیا که سلطانی درستکار است ٬ احساس می کند که دوران پیری وی نزدیک می شود و اعلام می کند که می خواهد پسر خود راما را به تخت بنشاند و خود کناره گیری کند اما ملکه جوان کشور از این خبر خشمگین می شود و می خواهد پسر او بهاراتا بر تخت بنشیند وچون پادشاه زمانی به او وعده داده بود که هر چه او بخواهد انجام دهد ٬ به نزد شوهر می رود و از او می خواهد که راما را برای ۱۴ سال در جنگلی به ریاضت و آوارگی روانه سازد و بهاراتا را به جای برادر بر تخت نشاند.
پادشاه از شنیدن این خبر اندوهگین می شود و از ملکه می خواهد از این تصمیم صرف نظر کند اما ملکه می گوید یک پادشاه نباید عهد خود را فراموش کند . وقتی راما از ماوقع باخبر می شود اعلام می کند که در کمال رضایت از فرمان پدر اطاعت می کند و از همسرش سیتا می خواهد که تا بازگشت او بهاراتا را پادشاه بداند اما سیتا حاضر به ماندن نمی شود و همراه شوهرش به جنگل می رود . در این سفر لاکشمن ـبرادر دیگر راما ـنیز باوی همسفر می شود از سوی دیگر بهاراتا نیز اعلام می کند که هیچگاه به جای راما بر تخت نمی شیند و فقط از جانب او بر کشور سلطنت خواهد کرد.
مدت ۱۰سال راما به اتفاق همسر و برادر خود در جنگل به سر می بردو با مشکلات دست و پنجه نرم می کنند .در این میان غولی غارتگر به نام راوانا تصمیم می گیرد با ربودن سیتا شوهرش را آزار دهد. وی خود را به صورت غزالی در می آورد و سیتا را فریب می دهد و وی را با خود به آسمان ها می برد.
راما و لاکشمن به دنبال سیتا همه جا را زیر پا می گذارند و در نهایت پادشاه میمون ها آنها را یاری می دهد تا سیتا را بیابند و در نهایت پس از جنگی خونین که بین سپاه راما (میمون ها ) و سپاه راوانا اتفاق می افتد٬ سیتا نجات می یابد .سیتا پس از نجات به دلیل شایعاتی که درباره ی او بر سر زبان ها افتاده است که وی به راما خیانت کرده و همسر راوانا شده است از آتش می گذرد و بی گناهی خود را به اثبات می رساند .
بالاخره مدت تبعید آنها به سر می رسد و آنها به سرزمین خود باز می گردند و راما برتخت سلطنت می نشیند . مردم راما را چنان دوست می داشتند که اکنون نیز به هنگام درود فرستادن ٬کف دستها را به هم می گذارند و می گویند: "رام. رام "
گفتنی است که در دوران های بعد راما در دل مردم به صورت خدایی که به سیمای آدمی درآمده بود ٬جای می گیرد.
April 5, 2017
As part of reading different versions of Ramayana, I have read this book.
This is the best one I have come across till date. The author presents the story devoid of his opinion or biases which is something I liked.
I also liked the way he draws parallels between Valmiki Ramayana and Kamban Ramayana.
Such a relief to read this after reading Devdutt Patnaik's version ('Sita' one of the worst books I have read)
This is the best one I have come across till date. The author presents the story devoid of his opinion or biases which is something I liked.
I also liked the way he draws parallels between Valmiki Ramayana and Kamban Ramayana.
Such a relief to read this after reading Devdutt Patnaik's version ('Sita' one of the worst books I have read)
December 19, 2021
I have very little basis with which to judge this work, as I had hardly any knowledge of Indian mythology, no knowledge whatsoever of this particular epic, and no familiarity even with Narayan. What I can say—considering the original poem’s enormous length—is that this book is both short and readable; more than that, it is interesting and enjoyable. While I am sure whether I derived any profound life lessons from this tale of gods and heroes, I passed a few delightful hours and achieved at least a basic familiarity with a story that is vital to millions. That seems like a valuable book to me.
December 23, 2023
2023 Review
{3.5 stars}
I came back to this one after finding a translation by Ralph T H Griffith on Gutenberg that is over 400 pages. I realised this would make more than a 3-hour reading.
So, this audiobook is a very abridged version.
Skimming through Ralph T H Griffith’s book, it was a surprise to find there is more to the Ramayana then the Rama and Sita story, but from what I can tell, it still touched on the themes of duty (to family and spouse), order / hierarchy, and the steps to take to keep good karma.
And it was good listening to Sita Ramamurthy’s reading again. This time, with more context, where this time her gusto made the texts assertions more visible of how to live and keep good karma intact.
And this time I noticed Kaikeyi (one of the King's wives) and felt a little sorry for her. She stirs up trouble in looking out for her son wanting him, and not Rama, to be next in line for the throne. But later she regrets shaking up the status quo (for the times she lived in, brave woman BTW), though this is only shown in the poem in a couple of lines that are easy to miss and speak volumes.
When Sita walks through the fire to prove her fidelity to Rama still leaves me stunned. She was kidnapped, and in the end is saved, but when Rama tests her for her fidelity to him, this traumatic experience was not on his mind. It’s like Rama has completely forgotten when he self-exiles himself to live in a forest, Sita is insistent to go with him; Sita, a princess, who is ready to leave behind a luxurious, comfortable life to face the hardship of forest living. This is the action of a loyal, committed wife who is ready to carry her husband’s burden, and yet he doubts her loyalty.
Maybe, the longer version explains that it’s not a trust issue when Rama asks Sita to walk through the fire, and there is a bigger explanation that is missing from this audiobook, but here it’s Sita’s heroic actions that speaks volumes to me.
2022 Review
This is another one I came across by chance months back to reserve. The reading by Sita Ramamurthy is full of energy and gusto � where the sounds of the poetry fit the words � I was completely hooked.
It’s the entire poem, read in 3 hours � usually in listening to audiobooks I pause, come back to it a day or two, sometimes three later � but here I couldn’t wait to know what happened next.
And when Sita steps into the funeral pyre to follow her deceased husband, my jaw dropped. Fortunately, it turned into an Iphigenia moment (the version where Artemis intervenes her being sacrificed). This poem has loads of drama and there’s a big war (that epitomises a battle between good and evil), whilst being driven by the same heroic themes as Homer’s work � of honour, virtue and courage.
I liked how the poem had a strong female character in Sita. Here, her virtue is questioned by her husband Rama, she has to convince him of her fidelity to him during her kidnap � so not her fault but still she has to prove this. Imagine me sighing as I was listening to this � whilst enjoying the wonderful poetic beats.
Rama, with Lakshmana, may have fought those demons � where at moments his life was on the line, but for me Sita was the better warrior who stayed steadfast and never lost her nerve despite having to prove her own honour. Something I would have never discovered for myself if I had not found this one, by doing random searches, on Libby.
{3.5 stars}
I came back to this one after finding a translation by Ralph T H Griffith on Gutenberg that is over 400 pages. I realised this would make more than a 3-hour reading.
So, this audiobook is a very abridged version.
Skimming through Ralph T H Griffith’s book, it was a surprise to find there is more to the Ramayana then the Rama and Sita story, but from what I can tell, it still touched on the themes of duty (to family and spouse), order / hierarchy, and the steps to take to keep good karma.
And it was good listening to Sita Ramamurthy’s reading again. This time, with more context, where this time her gusto made the texts assertions more visible of how to live and keep good karma intact.
And this time I noticed Kaikeyi (one of the King's wives) and felt a little sorry for her. She stirs up trouble in looking out for her son wanting him, and not Rama, to be next in line for the throne. But later she regrets shaking up the status quo (for the times she lived in, brave woman BTW), though this is only shown in the poem in a couple of lines that are easy to miss and speak volumes.
When Sita walks through the fire to prove her fidelity to Rama still leaves me stunned. She was kidnapped, and in the end is saved, but when Rama tests her for her fidelity to him, this traumatic experience was not on his mind. It’s like Rama has completely forgotten when he self-exiles himself to live in a forest, Sita is insistent to go with him; Sita, a princess, who is ready to leave behind a luxurious, comfortable life to face the hardship of forest living. This is the action of a loyal, committed wife who is ready to carry her husband’s burden, and yet he doubts her loyalty.
Maybe, the longer version explains that it’s not a trust issue when Rama asks Sita to walk through the fire, and there is a bigger explanation that is missing from this audiobook, but here it’s Sita’s heroic actions that speaks volumes to me.
2022 Review
This is another one I came across by chance months back to reserve. The reading by Sita Ramamurthy is full of energy and gusto � where the sounds of the poetry fit the words � I was completely hooked.
It’s the entire poem, read in 3 hours � usually in listening to audiobooks I pause, come back to it a day or two, sometimes three later � but here I couldn’t wait to know what happened next.
And when Sita steps into the funeral pyre to follow her deceased husband, my jaw dropped. Fortunately, it turned into an Iphigenia moment (the version where Artemis intervenes her being sacrificed). This poem has loads of drama and there’s a big war (that epitomises a battle between good and evil), whilst being driven by the same heroic themes as Homer’s work � of honour, virtue and courage.
I liked how the poem had a strong female character in Sita. Here, her virtue is questioned by her husband Rama, she has to convince him of her fidelity to him during her kidnap � so not her fault but still she has to prove this. Imagine me sighing as I was listening to this � whilst enjoying the wonderful poetic beats.
Rama, with Lakshmana, may have fought those demons � where at moments his life was on the line, but for me Sita was the better warrior who stayed steadfast and never lost her nerve despite having to prove her own honour. Something I would have never discovered for myself if I had not found this one, by doing random searches, on Libby.
July 31, 2017
Ramesh Menon truly deserves high praise for managing to write a retelling of this lengthy classic which is not only readable (not always a given), but actually quite compelling. Although it's quite verbose for my taste, and could tire the reader (especially with these endless descriptions of the battle between Rama's and Ravana's armies), I thoroughly enjoyed the whole book. Indian mythology never fails to mesmerize me, and same goes for Ramesh Menon whose rendering of The Mahabharata got me hooked to these stories many years ago.
Last, but not least, the talented narrator contributed immensely to the pleasure this book offers.
Last, but not least, the talented narrator contributed immensely to the pleasure this book offers.
February 14, 2017
3.5 stars. I couldn't belief that I actually enjoyed it despite being far removed from the cultural context of the work! The moment I ascertained that I was required to read The Ramayana for my World Literature Module in university, I felt frightened and intimidated. I had a strong feeling that I would not enjoy it because of its unfamiliarity and because of the fact that I had to step out of my comfort zone and read a book involving wars. The first two chapters of the book was perplexing to me; however, I found myself totally immersed in the story and enjoyed it very much! I assumed that I would feel uncomfortable and emotional because I had established my own set of beliefs and world views and feared that they might be diluted. Nevertheless, I was foolishly mistaken! Thanks to RK Narayan's brilliance in translation, I was able to rid myself of all the subjective feelings; my prejudice was evaporated and I didn't feel removed and isolated when I read the text. I must say that I actually appreciate the work and that world literature is not as scary as I've thought!
March 6, 2015
This classic translation of the Ramayana is a complete and unabridged verse by verse translation of the great epic poem. This is not the Ramayana in the story format but the translation of the verses in the poetic form. The author reproduces the spirit of the ancient hymns with great flair. The lavishly added notes to the verses and appendix at the end of the book adds to the reference value of the title.
March 8, 2023
Rama is such an unremittingly virtuous hero � so good and brave and wise and kind � that he might at first strike some readers of Valmiki’s Ramayana as a bit of a bore. But don’t let that drive you away from The Ramayana. The rewards of reading this epic of classical India are many and considerable.
Not much is known about Valmiki, or even about the circumstances under which The Ramayana was composed; the best that scholars can do is estimate that this epic poem was composed sometime between the 5th century B.C. and the 1st century B.C. But with all of that uncertainty acknowledged, what can be said with certainty is that The Ramayana tells a great story. There are plenty of good reasons why this poem still plays a leading role in the life of India and other nations of South Asia today.
The first thing to know about Rama, the hero of The Ramayana, is that he is an avatar of the god Vishnu � a god in human form. His status is important because it is his task to kill the demon-king Ravana; and Ravana was granted, by the creator god Brahma, invulnerability against attacks by gods, spirits, rakshasas (demons), or wild beasts. Despising human beings, Ravana did not deign to ask Brahma for invulnerability from them. Thus it is that Rama, as a human being, will fulfill divine will and destroy Ravana.
From childhood, it is clear that Rama is a young man of special abilities, one who is destined for great things. Told that, before he can marry the princess Sita, he must string a bow that no man has ever been able even to bend, Rama, like King Arthur lifting the sword Excalibur from the stone, publicly demonstrates that he possesses special powers and enjoys divine favour: “Rama casually grasped the bow in the middle. Watched by thousands of people, righteous Rama lifted the celestial bow with ease. He strung the bow and drew it to its fullest extent and fitted an arrow into it. Then, Rama snapped the bow in half. It broke with a huge sound like a thunder-clap and the earth shook as if all the mountains had collapsed� (p. 81).
Rama enjoys the special esteem of his father, the aging king Dasharatha, who intends to bestow his kingdom upon Rama: “I have paid my dues to the rshis (seer-sages), the gods, the ancestors, and the brahmins. I have no duties left to perform except to anoint you my heir� (p. 106). But then things get complicated. Besotted by his lust for his youngest and most beautiful wife, Kaikeyi, Dasharatha once gave Kaikeyi a boon, an unbreakable promise that he would fulfill whatever she demanded. Now, on the eve of Rama’s coronation, Kaikeyi cashes in on Dasharatha’s promise: she wants her own son Bharata placed on the throne, and Rama sent into exile.
Bound by his dharma, his set of duties and assigned life roles as a king, the sorrowing Dasharatha has no choice but to honour his promise, fulfill the boon he gave to Kaikeyi, and send Rama into exile. Rama’s wife Sita, a princess accustomed to a life of wealth and luxury, chooses to accompany Rama into his years of exile; so does Rama’s loyal brother Lakshmana, who has clearly never seen a Game of Thrones episode in his whole life. Kaikeyi’s devious plans are set at naught when her son Bharata makes clear that he does not want the throne his mother schemed to secure for him. He will hold it only as a steward, a caretaker, until Rama is able to return from his unjust exile. Amid the lamentations of the people of the city of Ayodhya, who are stricken with grief at Rama’s departure, the sage Bharadvaja assures Bharata that all will end well: “Do not censure Kaikeyi, Bharata, for Rama’s exile will have happy consequences!� (p. 200)
Once they are out in the wilderness, Rama, Sita, and Lakshmana plan to live simply until their term of exile is over. But fate takes a hand when a rakshasi (she-demon) named Shurphanaka sees Rama and is overcome by lust for him. Offended by the hideous creature’s grotesque blandishments, Rama and Lakshmana cut off her nose and ears. The mutilated Shurphanaka goes to her brother Ravana to complain; Ravana then uses his wiles and magic to abduct Sita while Rama and Lakshmana are away, and takes the unfortunate princess away to his demon lair, the city of Lanka.
It is here that the otherwise too-good-for-his-own-good Rama takes on a refreshingly human quality. His anguish at losing the woman he loves is real and relatable:
Rama looked all over the settlement. Without Sita, the trees there seemed to weep, the birds and animals appeared downcast. It was as if the forest deities had abandoned the area....Rama called out to Sita again and again. "She has been abducted! She is dead! She has been eaten! Or perhaps the poor frightened thing went and hid in the forest!"....But though he searched high and low, Rama could not find his beloved in the forest. His eyes red from weeping, he seemed like a madman as he ran from tree to tree, from the mountains to the river, weeping more and more as he plunged deeper and deeper into an ocean of grief. (pp. 292-93)
With no real idea where in the world Sita might be, Rama and Lakshmana nonetheless set forth in hopes of finding her. As in other great epics of the world, the heroes encounter mystical creatures who, in one way or another, guide them along their path. The vulture-king Jatayu, mortally wounded when he tried to protect Sita from being abducted by Ravana, lives long enough to tell Rama, “Do not grieve for Sita!...It won’t be long before you kill this rakshasa in battle and enjoy the pleasures of Sita’s company once again� (p. 297).
And when the rakshasa Kabandha is defeated in battle by Rama and Lakshmana, the dying Kabandha, restored to the human form that he once enjoyed, tells the brothers how they can invade Ravana’s well-guarded lair and save Sita: they must seek out the monkey-king Sugriva, who has been supplanted by his brother Vali, and help Sugriva regain his throne. Once they have done so, Kabandha tells them, the grateful Sugriva “will search the rivers, the mountains and the deep caves with his monkeys and he will find your wife� (p. 301).
Rama and Lakshmana help Sugriva to regain the throne of his kingdom of Kishkindha; and the grateful monkey-king keeps his end of the bargain, sending his monkey armies to the ends of the Earth in search of Sita. Of all Sugriva’s forces, the only one who can reach Lanka is the monkey-god Hanuman, who assures his fellow monkeys that “I know I shall see Sita�.I can leap over ten thousand yojanas [about 90,000 miles] and after turning Lanka upside down, I shall return!� (p. 400).
Hanuman, as good as his word, makes his way across the ocean to Lanka, consoles Sita with the reassurance that Rama is on his way to her, and destroys much of Lanka while he is at it. And Sita needs consolation: Ravana, who is evidently quite a ladies� man even though he is a demon with ten heads (!), is outraged that Sita will not give herself to him, and has declared that he will execute her if she does not gratify his lust for her.
The monkey army launches its own attempt to rescue Sita, but Ravana’s rakshasa army fights back, and much blood is shed on all sides, to the point that Hanuman, touring the battlefield with the reformed demon Vibhishana, “saw the earth covered with tails, arms, torsos, legs, fingers and scattered limbs. Blood flowed from the bodies of fallen monkeys� (p. 585). Recall that Ravana, with his boon from Brahma, cannot be killed by beasts � or by gods, spirits, or demons. Only a human being � only Rama � can kill him; and thus the stage is set for that final confrontation.
I read The Ramayana while traveling in Nepal, where one of the first masterpieces in the history of the country’s literature was a translation of The Ramayana into the Nepali language. At Kathmandu’s Pashupatinath temple complex, where cremations are still carried out along the banks of the Bagmati River, I saw a wall mural that depicted a scene from The Ramayana. Rama, surrounded in a blue glow, looks grief-stricken but resolute; Lakshmana, smaller but otherwise looking much like his divine brother, appears ready to help; Sita is enveloped in a cloudy glow, emphasizing that the real Sita is still missing; and Sugriva the monkey-king bows before them, promising his help.
As I reviewed the details of this wall mural, my sense of the importance of The Ramayana in the life of South Asia was reinforced. Anyone who enjoys classical epic narrative, or who wants to understand more about the Hindu culture of the Indian subcontinent, should read The Ramayana.
Not much is known about Valmiki, or even about the circumstances under which The Ramayana was composed; the best that scholars can do is estimate that this epic poem was composed sometime between the 5th century B.C. and the 1st century B.C. But with all of that uncertainty acknowledged, what can be said with certainty is that The Ramayana tells a great story. There are plenty of good reasons why this poem still plays a leading role in the life of India and other nations of South Asia today.
The first thing to know about Rama, the hero of The Ramayana, is that he is an avatar of the god Vishnu � a god in human form. His status is important because it is his task to kill the demon-king Ravana; and Ravana was granted, by the creator god Brahma, invulnerability against attacks by gods, spirits, rakshasas (demons), or wild beasts. Despising human beings, Ravana did not deign to ask Brahma for invulnerability from them. Thus it is that Rama, as a human being, will fulfill divine will and destroy Ravana.
From childhood, it is clear that Rama is a young man of special abilities, one who is destined for great things. Told that, before he can marry the princess Sita, he must string a bow that no man has ever been able even to bend, Rama, like King Arthur lifting the sword Excalibur from the stone, publicly demonstrates that he possesses special powers and enjoys divine favour: “Rama casually grasped the bow in the middle. Watched by thousands of people, righteous Rama lifted the celestial bow with ease. He strung the bow and drew it to its fullest extent and fitted an arrow into it. Then, Rama snapped the bow in half. It broke with a huge sound like a thunder-clap and the earth shook as if all the mountains had collapsed� (p. 81).
Rama enjoys the special esteem of his father, the aging king Dasharatha, who intends to bestow his kingdom upon Rama: “I have paid my dues to the rshis (seer-sages), the gods, the ancestors, and the brahmins. I have no duties left to perform except to anoint you my heir� (p. 106). But then things get complicated. Besotted by his lust for his youngest and most beautiful wife, Kaikeyi, Dasharatha once gave Kaikeyi a boon, an unbreakable promise that he would fulfill whatever she demanded. Now, on the eve of Rama’s coronation, Kaikeyi cashes in on Dasharatha’s promise: she wants her own son Bharata placed on the throne, and Rama sent into exile.
Bound by his dharma, his set of duties and assigned life roles as a king, the sorrowing Dasharatha has no choice but to honour his promise, fulfill the boon he gave to Kaikeyi, and send Rama into exile. Rama’s wife Sita, a princess accustomed to a life of wealth and luxury, chooses to accompany Rama into his years of exile; so does Rama’s loyal brother Lakshmana, who has clearly never seen a Game of Thrones episode in his whole life. Kaikeyi’s devious plans are set at naught when her son Bharata makes clear that he does not want the throne his mother schemed to secure for him. He will hold it only as a steward, a caretaker, until Rama is able to return from his unjust exile. Amid the lamentations of the people of the city of Ayodhya, who are stricken with grief at Rama’s departure, the sage Bharadvaja assures Bharata that all will end well: “Do not censure Kaikeyi, Bharata, for Rama’s exile will have happy consequences!� (p. 200)
Once they are out in the wilderness, Rama, Sita, and Lakshmana plan to live simply until their term of exile is over. But fate takes a hand when a rakshasi (she-demon) named Shurphanaka sees Rama and is overcome by lust for him. Offended by the hideous creature’s grotesque blandishments, Rama and Lakshmana cut off her nose and ears. The mutilated Shurphanaka goes to her brother Ravana to complain; Ravana then uses his wiles and magic to abduct Sita while Rama and Lakshmana are away, and takes the unfortunate princess away to his demon lair, the city of Lanka.
It is here that the otherwise too-good-for-his-own-good Rama takes on a refreshingly human quality. His anguish at losing the woman he loves is real and relatable:
Rama looked all over the settlement. Without Sita, the trees there seemed to weep, the birds and animals appeared downcast. It was as if the forest deities had abandoned the area....Rama called out to Sita again and again. "She has been abducted! She is dead! She has been eaten! Or perhaps the poor frightened thing went and hid in the forest!"....But though he searched high and low, Rama could not find his beloved in the forest. His eyes red from weeping, he seemed like a madman as he ran from tree to tree, from the mountains to the river, weeping more and more as he plunged deeper and deeper into an ocean of grief. (pp. 292-93)
With no real idea where in the world Sita might be, Rama and Lakshmana nonetheless set forth in hopes of finding her. As in other great epics of the world, the heroes encounter mystical creatures who, in one way or another, guide them along their path. The vulture-king Jatayu, mortally wounded when he tried to protect Sita from being abducted by Ravana, lives long enough to tell Rama, “Do not grieve for Sita!...It won’t be long before you kill this rakshasa in battle and enjoy the pleasures of Sita’s company once again� (p. 297).
And when the rakshasa Kabandha is defeated in battle by Rama and Lakshmana, the dying Kabandha, restored to the human form that he once enjoyed, tells the brothers how they can invade Ravana’s well-guarded lair and save Sita: they must seek out the monkey-king Sugriva, who has been supplanted by his brother Vali, and help Sugriva regain his throne. Once they have done so, Kabandha tells them, the grateful Sugriva “will search the rivers, the mountains and the deep caves with his monkeys and he will find your wife� (p. 301).
Rama and Lakshmana help Sugriva to regain the throne of his kingdom of Kishkindha; and the grateful monkey-king keeps his end of the bargain, sending his monkey armies to the ends of the Earth in search of Sita. Of all Sugriva’s forces, the only one who can reach Lanka is the monkey-god Hanuman, who assures his fellow monkeys that “I know I shall see Sita�.I can leap over ten thousand yojanas [about 90,000 miles] and after turning Lanka upside down, I shall return!� (p. 400).
Hanuman, as good as his word, makes his way across the ocean to Lanka, consoles Sita with the reassurance that Rama is on his way to her, and destroys much of Lanka while he is at it. And Sita needs consolation: Ravana, who is evidently quite a ladies� man even though he is a demon with ten heads (!), is outraged that Sita will not give herself to him, and has declared that he will execute her if she does not gratify his lust for her.
The monkey army launches its own attempt to rescue Sita, but Ravana’s rakshasa army fights back, and much blood is shed on all sides, to the point that Hanuman, touring the battlefield with the reformed demon Vibhishana, “saw the earth covered with tails, arms, torsos, legs, fingers and scattered limbs. Blood flowed from the bodies of fallen monkeys� (p. 585). Recall that Ravana, with his boon from Brahma, cannot be killed by beasts � or by gods, spirits, or demons. Only a human being � only Rama � can kill him; and thus the stage is set for that final confrontation.
I read The Ramayana while traveling in Nepal, where one of the first masterpieces in the history of the country’s literature was a translation of The Ramayana into the Nepali language. At Kathmandu’s Pashupatinath temple complex, where cremations are still carried out along the banks of the Bagmati River, I saw a wall mural that depicted a scene from The Ramayana. Rama, surrounded in a blue glow, looks grief-stricken but resolute; Lakshmana, smaller but otherwise looking much like his divine brother, appears ready to help; Sita is enveloped in a cloudy glow, emphasizing that the real Sita is still missing; and Sugriva the monkey-king bows before them, promising his help.
As I reviewed the details of this wall mural, my sense of the importance of The Ramayana in the life of South Asia was reinforced. Anyone who enjoys classical epic narrative, or who wants to understand more about the Hindu culture of the Indian subcontinent, should read The Ramayana.
December 2, 2018
his style is flowing and the story is running and rich. i read few versions and i find this one the most satisfying. maybe because is short.
December 28, 2017
Okay, first the consumer warning: THIS IS NOT THE VALMIKI VERSION OF THE RAMAYANA, nor is it the Kamban version, which is referred to on the back cover description. I was insufficiently attentive in the bookstore, when buying the Penguin Classics of this and the Mahabharata. I did not realize that this was essentially a modern novel version of the Tamil version, reshaped by the Indian novelist R. K. Narayan.
So what you get in this edition is part of the story of Ramayana, revised to modern tastes, and told in legendary-sounding prose.
Narayan does not like the part of the story in which Rama shoots and kills Hanuman, after Hanuman saves his bacon. The solution is that Narayan tells us that Rama is known to have done that, but he leaves it out of the narrative. Narayan also doesn't like the "second ending" of the Valmiki version, so in an epilogue we are told it exists, told about the doubts of authenticity, but not given anything but the slightest synopsis.
In other places the flavor of the ancient originals is given by lines like, "At this point Kamban begins to describe the preparations for the wedding of Rama and Sita. It is one of the most fascinating sections of the epic. The details of the wedding pavilion; the decorations; the arrival of guests from other countries; the flowers in the bride's house and then at the bridegroom's and the preparation of the bride and bridegroom themselves: their clothes and jewellery, the moods they were in -- all are described by Kamban in minute detail, running to several thousand lines of poetry."
That's an interesting way of boiling the story down while still giving a nod to the original versions, and (despite being annoyed because I'd thought I'd bought an original version) it works well enough.
I enjoyed this easy-reading version of Rama's story, and it makes for a good introduction to the complex mythology of the Hindu pantheon. I can see why Narayan might have felt there was a need for this update. Judged by the author's intention, it works.
So what you get in this edition is part of the story of Ramayana, revised to modern tastes, and told in legendary-sounding prose.
Narayan does not like the part of the story in which Rama shoots and kills Hanuman, after Hanuman saves his bacon. The solution is that Narayan tells us that Rama is known to have done that, but he leaves it out of the narrative. Narayan also doesn't like the "second ending" of the Valmiki version, so in an epilogue we are told it exists, told about the doubts of authenticity, but not given anything but the slightest synopsis.
In other places the flavor of the ancient originals is given by lines like, "At this point Kamban begins to describe the preparations for the wedding of Rama and Sita. It is one of the most fascinating sections of the epic. The details of the wedding pavilion; the decorations; the arrival of guests from other countries; the flowers in the bride's house and then at the bridegroom's and the preparation of the bride and bridegroom themselves: their clothes and jewellery, the moods they were in -- all are described by Kamban in minute detail, running to several thousand lines of poetry."
That's an interesting way of boiling the story down while still giving a nod to the original versions, and (despite being annoyed because I'd thought I'd bought an original version) it works well enough.
I enjoyed this easy-reading version of Rama's story, and it makes for a good introduction to the complex mythology of the Hindu pantheon. I can see why Narayan might have felt there was a need for this update. Judged by the author's intention, it works.
July 5, 2020
Its very well written and easy to read. I like Rajaji's style of writing, he kept it true to Valmiki ji's narration and at right places made mentions of Goswami Tulsidas and Kamban ji's take on a particular event and the departure they made from the original story in their translations. These pieces make the reading very interesting as it helps you appreciate different views they took which very well could be a reflection of their time, socio-cultural change.
Want to read
January 19, 2010I used to study this epic in the Thai poem called "Ramakian" when I was in my teens, so it's my sheer delight to read this immortal Indian epic finely translated by a Sanskrit scholar.
January 29, 2018
Even to a skeptic like me, there is something soul stirring in the Ramayana .. mystic even!
September 6, 2016
An interesting shortened version of the Indian epic. It has less lecturing than the Bhagavad Gita and more ethical and moral dimensions to it. I enjoyed it more.
It is about Rama, the son of a king in a fictitious kingdom in some forgotten time. He is adored by his family and his people. One day a sage comes by and requests Rama come with him to complete a ritual in a remote place. During the journey Rama completes several great deeds even as a child, convincing the sage and others he is the reincarnation of a god, Vishnu. He finds a stunning bride, Sita, on the way back as well.
On the eve of his coronation, his stepmother approaches his father, the king, and holds him to a promise he made when they first met long ago. He granted her two wishes or boons, that she could request at any time. She had her own ambitions for herself and her son, and so decided to cash in on his promise. He is to exile Rama and place her own son on the throne instead. It is a question of honor and so the king agrees.
Rama is cast out into the forest, his wife is stolen by a demon, which leads to a great campaign to rescue her and destroy the demon hordes in the forests and frontiers of the world.
Entertaining, great descriptions, and interesting characters make this story pretty easy to get through, even for a westerner. You get a glimpse of ancient Indian culture, especially the concepts of honor, duty, divinity, and romance. Polygamy is practiced as is the subjugation of women to an inferior status. The sexism in the story is pretty thick, but no more than the sexism from our own ancient and medieval western stories.
I had serious problems with one particular part of the story: Rama's rejection of Sita once she is rescued from the demons. He is bothered by the fact that she's been living in a stranger's palace for months. Never mind that she was kidnapped and is held against her will by a vicious demon. If she relented in her defiance of the demon's advances, even once, he was ready to reject her. In other words, if she was raped, he didn't want her back as his wife. She wasn't raped and didn't relent, so the story could continue to its happy ending.
The interesting twist is that several characters are incarnations of gods, but they don't know it. They are born with a blindspot to their true identity, only aware that they have gifts and must play a special role. Here, Vishnu is Rama but doesn't know it. He lives and acts as a mortal, granted one with some godlike powers. This is exactly interesting to see unfold, as Rama/Vishnu can fail in their destiny or quests on Earth. Gods and goddesses are capable of mistakes when in human or non-divine form, as Rama did when he let a demon trick him, lure him out of his home allowing the demon to kidnap his wife.
It was enjoyable overall and didn't take long, thanks to its shortened modern prose.
It is about Rama, the son of a king in a fictitious kingdom in some forgotten time. He is adored by his family and his people. One day a sage comes by and requests Rama come with him to complete a ritual in a remote place. During the journey Rama completes several great deeds even as a child, convincing the sage and others he is the reincarnation of a god, Vishnu. He finds a stunning bride, Sita, on the way back as well.
On the eve of his coronation, his stepmother approaches his father, the king, and holds him to a promise he made when they first met long ago. He granted her two wishes or boons, that she could request at any time. She had her own ambitions for herself and her son, and so decided to cash in on his promise. He is to exile Rama and place her own son on the throne instead. It is a question of honor and so the king agrees.
Rama is cast out into the forest, his wife is stolen by a demon, which leads to a great campaign to rescue her and destroy the demon hordes in the forests and frontiers of the world.
Entertaining, great descriptions, and interesting characters make this story pretty easy to get through, even for a westerner. You get a glimpse of ancient Indian culture, especially the concepts of honor, duty, divinity, and romance. Polygamy is practiced as is the subjugation of women to an inferior status. The sexism in the story is pretty thick, but no more than the sexism from our own ancient and medieval western stories.
I had serious problems with one particular part of the story: Rama's rejection of Sita once she is rescued from the demons. He is bothered by the fact that she's been living in a stranger's palace for months. Never mind that she was kidnapped and is held against her will by a vicious demon. If she relented in her defiance of the demon's advances, even once, he was ready to reject her. In other words, if she was raped, he didn't want her back as his wife. She wasn't raped and didn't relent, so the story could continue to its happy ending.
The interesting twist is that several characters are incarnations of gods, but they don't know it. They are born with a blindspot to their true identity, only aware that they have gifts and must play a special role. Here, Vishnu is Rama but doesn't know it. He lives and acts as a mortal, granted one with some godlike powers. This is exactly interesting to see unfold, as Rama/Vishnu can fail in their destiny or quests on Earth. Gods and goddesses are capable of mistakes when in human or non-divine form, as Rama did when he let a demon trick him, lure him out of his home allowing the demon to kidnap his wife.
It was enjoyable overall and didn't take long, thanks to its shortened modern prose.
April 19, 2010
The Ramayana was an amazing book to read. However, this book has so many names that are hard to remember and has some vocabulary words that you need to be able to understand. At the begging of the book, it was boring. However, as you read further on you would find the book more interesting. It deals with this main character named Rama and Sita and Rama’s brothers. They help Rama get to a surtain point were Rama comes face to Ravana. Ravana is an evil monster that is ruler of all evil wanting to destroy Rama. The Ramayana is story of Rama journey to destroy Ravana and along the way; he makes friends with other people that would help with his journey. The theme of the book is good vs. evil, friendship and trust at the end good has its victory. This book is amazing and I would recommend people to read it and its fun to because you get to learn about other people’s culture and you would find it different in particular reason. The reason is that they have these types of gods that protect the world and is different from other religions.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 26, 2016
I read this for my Bahasa Indonesia school task and I actually enjoyed it! Rama is an amazing character and a great role model for literally everyone in this entire world.
I've never read anything about Hindu Mythology, and this book made me so interested on finding out more about Hindu Mythology. The relationships in this book was amazing. Rama, Lesmana, Hanoman & Sugriwa are literally BRO GOALS.
First few chapters made me a little bit confuse, maybe because I wasn't used to the language and mythology. But then I've given a few more chapters and I was already so invested to it.
ABSOLUTELY RECOMMENDED!
I've never read anything about Hindu Mythology, and this book made me so interested on finding out more about Hindu Mythology. The relationships in this book was amazing. Rama, Lesmana, Hanoman & Sugriwa are literally BRO GOALS.
First few chapters made me a little bit confuse, maybe because I wasn't used to the language and mythology. But then I've given a few more chapters and I was already so invested to it.
ABSOLUTELY RECOMMENDED!
July 22, 2021
I guess the whole world has heard of blue Rama and his beautiful Sita, but now that I'm actually reading the story, I find their love not as amazing as I thought. In the movie A Little Princess, Sarah was obsessed with the story, and I liked the scenes she imagined.
Rama is not as amazing and dashing as all that, he even cheats on Sita and treats her badly. Another book that encouraged me to read this book (though it wasn't about it) The Tiger's Curse by Colleen Houck, because I was obsessed with her India.
The last part when Rama sends his brother to dispose of Sita while pregnant in a forest kind of reminds me of Mary, she gives birth but is not alone.
And please tell me what's up with Indians and suicide?? It's NOT romantic and it's not okay, there's NO greatness in it or valor. I've noticed this aspect in many stories and movies in Indian culture.
I listened to the book through audible.
Rama is not as amazing and dashing as all that, he even cheats on Sita and treats her badly. Another book that encouraged me to read this book (though it wasn't about it) The Tiger's Curse by Colleen Houck, because I was obsessed with her India.
The last part when Rama sends his brother to dispose of Sita while pregnant in a forest kind of reminds me of Mary, she gives birth but is not alone.
And please tell me what's up with Indians and suicide?? It's NOT romantic and it's not okay, there's NO greatness in it or valor. I've noticed this aspect in many stories and movies in Indian culture.
I listened to the book through audible.
May 20, 2022
An excellent, very brief introduction to Ramayana. My main goal in reading this was to refamiliarize myself with the plot and characters as I contemplate a full reading of this great epic later this year. I am particularly interested in the topic of how the Hindu character Hanuman does or does not inspire the later Chinese character Sun Wukong (sometimes called "Monkey") in Wu Cheng'en's Journey to the West. One thing is certain, the fantastical nature of the battles, even as reflected in this version, is quite similar to that of Journey to the West. It seems quite clear to me, as others have suggested, that the latter do have an Indic influence, although I still don't know how much one can go with a more specific and pointed comparison. Anyway, a fairly quick way to get an idea of this vast epic!
August 1, 2017
JAI SHREE RAM JAI SHREE HANUMAN 🙏🙏🙏🙏
ONE OF THE TWO INDIAN EPIC TALES OF GOOD VS EVIL FIERCE BATTLES IN HINDU AND INDIAN GOD HISTORY (MAHABHARATA THE OTHER ONE)
AMAZING BOOK, AMAZING CHARACTERS...
BREATHTAKING GODLY EXPERIENCE..IT DON T MATTER WHAT FAITH ONE FOLLOWS..EVERYONE SHOULD READ THIS HOLY BOOK AT LEAST ONCE..
THIS BOOK WILL CHANGE YOUR LIFE AND VIEWS ABOUT IT...
GOOD ALWAYS WINS OVER EVIL...GOD ALWAYS WINS OVER DEVIL...
LONG LIVE LORD SHREE RAM, SHREE HANUMAN, LAKSHMAN, LORD SUGRIVA, LORD ANGAD, GODDESS SITA, SHREE JAMBVANA, SHREE JATAYU, SHREE SAMPAATI, SHREE ANGAD, SHREE NALA AND NEELA, SHREE BHARAT, SHREE SATRUGANA, SHREE VIBHISHANA,...🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏
AND MANY MORE....
ONE OF THE TWO INDIAN EPIC TALES OF GOOD VS EVIL FIERCE BATTLES IN HINDU AND INDIAN GOD HISTORY (MAHABHARATA THE OTHER ONE)
AMAZING BOOK, AMAZING CHARACTERS...
BREATHTAKING GODLY EXPERIENCE..IT DON T MATTER WHAT FAITH ONE FOLLOWS..EVERYONE SHOULD READ THIS HOLY BOOK AT LEAST ONCE..
THIS BOOK WILL CHANGE YOUR LIFE AND VIEWS ABOUT IT...
GOOD ALWAYS WINS OVER EVIL...GOD ALWAYS WINS OVER DEVIL...
LONG LIVE LORD SHREE RAM, SHREE HANUMAN, LAKSHMAN, LORD SUGRIVA, LORD ANGAD, GODDESS SITA, SHREE JAMBVANA, SHREE JATAYU, SHREE SAMPAATI, SHREE ANGAD, SHREE NALA AND NEELA, SHREE BHARAT, SHREE SATRUGANA, SHREE VIBHISHANA,...🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏
AND MANY MORE....
January 31, 2017
This is more of a prose novelization than a translation (and of Kamban's Tamil translation/adaptation rather than Valmiki's Sanskrit original). I can't speak to its accuracy or veracity as a representation of the original text, but it is a very entertaining read and made the story very clear, accessible, and exciting.
Currently reading
January 8, 2016Thanks to Lada who give me the courage to read this monument, this masterpiece.
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